I did a column that we never sent out, since it was eclipsed by events (appended).
mbs
Max or anybody else who might know,
Has anybody done the obligatory pork search of the recently completed budget process?
Ian
Pork With a Purpose
By Max B. Sawicky
Budget negotiations between President Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress have broken down, giving us the proverbial "train wreck." Congress has a package of spending increases and tax cuts worth $845 billion over the coming decade, but they have balked at some spending for schools and a worker-safety regulation. Some of the spending is needed, but if you saw everything that was on the table, you might easily conclude it better to dump the entire mess of pottage.
We could start with one of the most important priorities facing the nation in the new century – a pay increase for Members of Congress. This is described as a ‘cost of living’ adjustment. But for somebody making over $140,000 per year, I’d say with some confidence that their costs of living are adjusting pretty well.
About the tax cuts, I hope Governor Bush doesn’t find out what they are. It could spoil the harmony in Washington that he promises if elected president, in this case between him and his own party. The Congressional package is entirely composed of selective, narrow, targeted tax measures – the sort of thing for which Republicans are bashing Al Gore. Most of the benefits – 64 percent according to Citizens for Tax Justice – go to the top 20 percent of taxpayers. That part would probably be OKo.k. with Bush.
Remember all the fuss about the marriage penalty? There’ is no fix for itthe marriage penalty in this tax bill. How about relief from the so-called "death tax" for farmers and small business persons? Not in this bill. We do get help for a different, crying need – business lunches. The deduction is increased from 50 percent to 70 percent. Imagine spending $30 for lunch, and the IRS handing you back $21 if you qualify for the deduction. Ain’t life grand?
Republicans have demanded that government be smaller, but they have voted to increase spending by $300 billion. The package includes familiar menu items:. rRoast pork;, pork chops;, barbecued pork ribs;, double-cooked pork;, pork and beans. "Hi, I’m the Republican Congress and I’ll be your server today." Don’t take my word for it. Here are just a few of the items that Republican Senator John McCain reports on his web site:
There’s a million for the Animal Waste Management Consortium of Missouri. Who let the dogs out? There’ is $2.6 million to restore an opera house in Meridian, Mississippi. But the fat lady’s not done yet. There’s $1,100,000 going to the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, for the development of the `Sue' exhibit, a showcase of a 67 million-year-old T-Rex. And I thought all the fossils were in the Senate. There’s $250,000 for Sam Houston State University for the redevelopment of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Sam, we hardly knew ye!
We should not think that there’ is nothing of merit in this legislation. If you spend $845 billion, it is difficult not to do something good, if only by accident. But the public really has no clue what’s in store here. Everyone is focused on Gore versus Bush or Gore versus Nader. In effect these tax and spending measures would sneak in through the back door. I would say it’s time to stick a fork in this Congress. They’re done. Let’s have the elections and leave the huge surpluses for next year.